Tales from the Water Tribe
by Kira73
Summary: A collection of stories from my favorite of the four nations. Some will be mature. Some will not. All will be about the Water Tribe.
1. First Kiss

**First Kiss**

水水

_This shouldn't be happening._

Over and over I tried to convince myself this as he stalked me from across his bedroom, moving closer until only mere inches separated us. Despite the warmth of his body reaching out for me, a shiver of lust snaked down my spine.

Being near him always had this effect on be, even before I recognized my feelings for him. It was instinct. Pure, base. Primal. I couldn't deny my body the reaction any more than I could deny it the very air that it breathed.

From the smug look on his face as he glanced down at my crotch, I also knew I couldn't deny the reaction from him either. He had seen it all.

"No more lies. You want me," he said, his voice sultry and low and promising everything.

The words were out before I knew what I was saying. "I've always wanted you."

Sapphire-blue eyes I've known since childhood darkened with desire as strong hands framed my cheeks, tipping my face up to his. His lips moved closer, curling into a smile as they hovered over mine. "It's about damned time."

With just his breath over my mouth, another shiver took me. I knew what it was he wanted—and I wanted the same. A simple yet potent step I knew would change our lives forever.

I licked my lips. Anticipating. Needing. "Then kiss me."

For a fraction of a second, fear of what would come next, fear of breaking down boundaries never meant to be broken—fear of change—all skittered across my mind. But then his lips slammed against mine, banishing it all.

His kiss was wild and ferocious, like the sea. Caught on those turbulent waters, I struggled to stay on my feet. With a desperation I never expected, I clutched at his biceps, digging my fingers into his hard flesh. I was supposed to be the stronger one, to always be the one in control, but within seconds I had become weak, vulnerable—entirely his.

With a whimper of submission, I parted my lips. His tongue slid inside without hesitation, seeking my own. The two met, dancing as he let out a groan of approval. It slid over my skin like butter, awakening parts of me that had been asleep for far too long. Parts that hadn't been touched by another in over eight years. It was like coming home.

I moved closer, a silent plea for his touch. Answering my wishes, his hands slid from my face and down my chest, trapping my hips in his tight grasp. With another groan, he jerked my groin against his, the heat of his erection driving me higher as he ground it against me, starting a frantic rhythm we both hungered for. The delicious contact tore a gasp of pleasure from my throat as the friction threatened to send my long-neglected body over the edge.

"No." He abruptly broke the kiss, his ravenous eyes staring through mine and into my soul. "Not like this. I need to be inside you. _Please_... let me love you."

I tore at his clothing in answer, quickly ridding him of his tunic as he yanked off his mukluks then his pants. When he stood naked before me, I almost forgot how to breathe. He was magnificent. I'd seen him without clothes before, but not like this. Not when we were both panting and breathless, desire blazing between us like an out of control wildfire. Not when _I_ was the source of his stimulation. Not when we were about to share a bed—our bodies.

It was odd feeling, but one I fully embraced as I started to work on my own cerulean layers. I undressed, watching as his hungry gaze devoured my body with each article I removed. When I finished, I lowered myself onto his bed, the velvety pelts skimming my bare skin as I lay back and spread my legs. He followed, immediately filling the empty space and reclaimed my lips.

And when our two bodies finally became one, I knew I would be his forever. There was no turning back.

My best friend was now my lover.

水水


	2. Frozen

**Frozen**

氷

"You're so close, Kanna. Don't give up now."

I opened weary eyes to meet Hama's. The best healer in our tribe, my best friend, and the only one who knew my secret. She'd stuck by my side through the entirety of my labor, and wiped away more tears than I could count. Some were mine. Some, her own.

The next tortuous contraction struck and I continued to push, the agony drowning out all. All except my troubled thoughts.

_Will it have eyes of calming sapphire blue or wicked golden amber? Olive skin or a pale peach? Will it look like me... or him?_

When it passed, I rested, trying to catch my breath for the inevitable next wave. Hama dabbed a wet cloth to my forehead, her other hand clasping mine. The rest the tribe's healers looked on in worried anticipation, and I understood why.

Every man of childbearing age in the tribe was either married or betrothed... none of them to me. Yet I was pregnant. They assumed one of their husbands had cheated, but they hadn't. I didn't bother to correct their suspicions. The paternity of this child was a mystery I never wanted revealed.

When the next excruciating spasm hit, the women and their husbands were forgotten as I gritted my teeth and bore down.

_Blackest soot mix with virgin snow. Cries of mercy mix with screams of pain. My own pleas mix with his malicious laughter._

White-hot pain sliced between my thighs as a head stretched me more than I thought physically possible. "Out. Need it out, now. Please."

But Hama instructed me not to push and to pant instead. It didn't help, not when I was being torn in two. The wail within the ice walls of the healing hut mirrored perfectly the one from that day.

Whether I liked it or not, this baby would soon be a part of this war-torn world. A world without its father. Spirits... could I even do this? Alone?

After the longest minute of my life, Hama at last gave the go ahead to push once more. I bore down with determination. This was it. In just a few moments, I would be a mother.

_Iron fists bruise my face. Hot hands burn my hips. Brutal thrusts tear into my core. My soul._

I felt her hands prodding inflamed flesh, then, "The head is out. One more push, Kanna."

I strained with every ounce of strength I had left, both eager and frightened to meet the person I'd carried for so long. With a shriek of relief, the unbearable pressure faded as my child slid into existence.

"It's a boy!" Hama shouted as she pulled the fluid out of my son's lungs with her bending.

I flopped back to the pillow. A son. I had a son.

Then, I heard him for the first time. So fragile a body, so small, yet his cry was so strong. A warrior's cry. It was the most beautiful sound I'd ever heard and I immediately burst into tears.

Hama cleaned and swaddled him, and brought him to me, placing him on my bosom. He quieted, as if already knowing me, and opened his eyes to look straight into my own.

_Blue_. His eyes were blue, but now that he was here with me, it didn't matter what color they were.

I smiled down at him, tears streaking my face. Regardless of how he was conceived, I'd love him forever.

"Happy birthday, Hakoda."

氷

_**Thirty-five years later...**_

"You're sure you have to go? It's never too late to change your mind," I asked my son.

He turned from the knapsack he'd been packing, his blue eyes hinting at the sadness he carried deep. The tip of an lonely iceberg. A burden he'd carry forever.

"The raids need to be stopped. I've waited far too long to leave as it is. Now that the kids are old enough, it's time."

_Charcoal ashes among the powder. Metal monsters rip through ice and snow. More screams. More blood. My worst nightmare, reborn. The cruelest version of deja vu._

"It doesn't matter. They're still going to miss you as much as they would have six years ago."

He closed his eyes over tears I'd caused, but I didn't regret them. His children needed him. I needed him. And he needed us. Going away to fight his demons couldn't fix his broken heart. Only his family could do that.

"I know. Here, take this." From the side pocket of his pack, he pulled out all that was left the commitment he'd made long ago. A commitment unmercifully torn to shreds in one afternoon. Kya's betrothal necklace.

_Her body lies in a pool of frozen crimson, her necklace torn from her throat. It sits next to her, useless, while Hakoda weeps over her lifeless shell. Their children clutch my legs. Katara asks through her tears, "Is Mommy going to wake up?"_

Hakoda held out the trinket. It was just ribbon and stone. Nothing valuable, but worth everything. "If they ever question my leaving, this will serve as a reminder as to why it was so important. Make sure they never forget."

I took the necklace, knowing I'd never forget either. "I promise."

My own tears spilled over and he put his arms around me, trying to soothe the unsootheable. My son was leaving us. Leaving me. What was I going to do without him? "Spirits, I'm going to miss you."

"And I'll miss you, all of you. I wish I didn't have to do this but..." Voice choking, he pulled away. "Take care of the kids."

I didn't want to let him go, but somehow, I did. Unable to say anything but, "Stay safe."

"I will. I love you, Mom."

I watched as my son walked away, leaving me alone in his hut. The same hut his wife was killed in.

_Those vile hands take flesh again, this time, killing it. Those same tawny eyes gaze upon his prey, then at me. We're both older, but I know who he is. I could never forget. Recognition spark in those amber depths, and I wonder if he knows. But then... he's gone, leaving me in pain once again._

As I watched the Water Tribe cutters sail away later that day, I thought about the irony of it all. My son was leaving to slaughter his own father. A father I'd never told him about. Now it could be too late.

I shed one final tear for them both. Its warmth dripped down my cheek, falling free only to land upon the ground and turn to ice.

Frozen forever.

氷


	3. Mess

**Mess**

**OXOXO  
**

The eternal summer sun of the South Pole had fallen low in the sky, painting it a multitude of soft pinks and purples when Chief Hakoda finally left the common hall.

A few of the brightest stars peeked through the pastel blanket, silently reminding him it was time to head home. His tribesmen had toasted to his thirty-eighth year so many times, he'd lost count. If he'd stayed any longer, he was positive they'd be dragging him home.

Hakoda took a deep breath, filling his lungs with biting cold air in an attempt to sober up, and began his walk. He swore the ice beneath his feet shifted more than once as he trudged the short distance back to his hut. His wife wasn't going to be happy with his current state of intoxication, and he prayed to the Spirits that she was in bed for the night. Kita was in her seventh month of pregnancy, and could swing moods better than he could a sword.

Outside their dwelling, he paused. Soft whimpers drifted out, spelling the word 'trouble' almost as clearly as the vapor puffs leaving his mouth, which he noted were coming faster. She was awake, and upset. He held his breath and entered his home, knowing he was in for it.

But nothing could prepare him for what awaited him inside. As his eyes adjusted to the dim lamplight, he saw that an unidentifiable brown liquid had exploded all over the main chamber of his igloo, redecorating the floor and walls with a chunky mess. Not even the ceiling had been spared its assault. In the core of it all sat his wife, her head in her hands. Pots, bowls and various cooking utensils scattered about her, surrounding her like a metal army.

Drunkenness temporarily forgotten, he fell to his knees next to her and took his mittens off so he could stroke his fingers through her hair. "Hey, baby, what happened? Why are you crying?"

She lifted a tear-stained face. He had to stifle a laugh when he saw the brown liquid covered it as well. "I tried to make you a nice dinner to surprise you. I don't know what happened. One minute, it was in the pot. The next..." Her icy blue eyes shot to the ceiling. "I ruined your present. Spirits, Hakoda, I suck at this!"

Hakoda smiled at her gift, even if it had blown up in her face. Literally.

He peered into the cast iron pot in front of her. A small portion of her concoction remained untouched by whatever she'd done to it. "But you didn't ruin it all. See, we can still have squid stew for dinner."

"It's not squid stew! It's supposed to be sea prunes. See... you can't even tell what it is." More tears began to fall, streaking through brown, leaving stripes of peach skin behind. "I can't cook. I can't clean. I can hardly even move! What kind of wife am I?"

He'd heard those words too often lately. Carrying the twins had been hard on Kita, especially since this was her first pregnancy. He stood up, trying his hardest not to swagger and took her hand. He pulled her to her feet and held her close. "You're mine, and that's all I care about. I wouldn't want you any other way than just like this."

"But you're my husband. You're supposed to say those things to me," she muttered through tears as he led her through the sealskin folds of their bedchamber.

"So? I love saying them." He set her on their fur-covered bed and took off her mukluks.

She sighed, wiggling her toes. "You're an angel. It's so hard for me to get those off anymore."

"I'm not done." He began a slow massage on her feet and ankles, just the way she liked it.

She let out a soft moan and closed her eyes. "Oh, that feels incredible. Never mind the angel bit. You've been promoted to god status."

He chuckled. Kita had saved his heart. The perfect medicine. This was the least he could do in return.

Still, being called a god by your woman did wonders on the ego. "Thought it might. Just relax, baby. I'll take care of you."

He worked her tense muscles, slowly moving his hands up her legs, eliciting more mewls of pleasure. As they always did, her little noises drove his body wild. Cock hard as ice, he carried his caresses to the inside of her thighs.

Her eyes flew open in surprise. "I can't believe it! Here I am fat as a whale with your babies, covered with your birthday dinner, and you're thinking about sex?" But even as she said it, she was making short work of her anorak.

Spirits, she was beautiful. His. He kissed the swollen belly she revealed. "Mmm hmm... and you've never looked sexier."

"You must going blind in your old age. Or senile." She eased down, lying her side. He nestled in front of her and brushed his lips over hers. She pulled back, suspicion in her eyes. "You've been drinking, haven't you?"

"Just a little."

That received an eye roll. "Right."

He chuckled. "You know me too well." Since she'd made her lips unavailable, he took her neck instead. He slid his hand down, rubbing it over her abdomen. "But watch who you're calling old. If I was old, I wouldn't have been able to do this. You have no idea how much it turns me on that you're having my children."

She gave him another eye roll, forcing him to guide her hand to his crotch for proof.

"Oh, my." Lust flickered in her gaze as she slipped her fingers into his pants. "What about the mess out there?"

"We can worry about that later." Upon the reminder of his failed present, Hakoda decided to sample a brown-covered earlobe. A heavenly taste exploded over his tongue. "That's delicious, baby. See, you can cook. I knew you could."

Her eyes lit up and she started to remove her hand. "Really? You want me to get you a bowl?"

He stopped her hand and started on the chaos coating the rest of her ear, slowly uncovering the best gift of all...

Her.

"Huh-uh. I'd rather eat my present in here."

**OXOXO**

**Just a tidbit about Hakoda and my OC Kita. You can find her in my fic, In Her Hands.**


End file.
